Girlstart’s Women in STEM weekly series highlights various women who are making a difference in STEM. Be inspired as these incredible women describe how they became interested in their field, provide insight into a day in the life, and share learnings from their experiences.

Jaime Ownby
Research Field Sales Associate @ MilliporeSigma

Jamie helps the oldest chemical and pharmaceutical company in the world sell their products. She is a new volunteer with Girlstart who is excited to share her experiences in the STEM field with us on our Women in STEM blog!

Can you describe a little bit of what you do?
I sell life science products to researchers at the National Institutes of Health. Researchers need items such as chemicals, antibodies, protein detection kits, cell culture and purification products, and more to conduct their experiments. My company, MilliporeSigma, is the oldest chemical and pharmaceutical company in the world and widely recognized and respected.

When scientists experience difficulties getting the experimental results they are looking for, I help them find just what they need. I educate them about product innovations that can help them in their work. I leverage my capabilities such as my strong interpersonal communication skills to sell and my social media presence to connect with my customers. Through data analysis, I develop a plan for my account, the NIH, to meet and exceed company revenue growth targets.

Was there a specific person, program, or event in your life that led you to your STEM career?
I had an incredible high school chemistry teacher who challenged me and showed me just how much there was to learn in science. I went to college to be a Spanish teacher, but took science classes because there was so much I wanted to learn. I quickly switched my major to Chemistry. Junior year, I did an internship at the National Institutes of Health conducting a bioinformatic analysis, but I learned that sitting at a lab bench or behind a computer everyday wasn’t for me. Upon graduation, I became a high school chemistry teacher and loved it. I felt like there was still so much more science to learn myself, so after 8 years, I looked for a career change.

A coworker of mine had a friend who switched from teaching into the role I’m in now. She loved being involved in cutting-edge research and the autonomy and flexibility the career offers. Plus, she was making more than double what she had as a teacher! The best part, however, was the continual training and education she was receiving. I couldn’t have been more enticed!

I made the career switch in January 2020. Some exciting things I’ve learned is how CRISPR genome editing works and what the different types of vaccines are that a lab could be developing, which, as you could anticipate, is much needed knowledge when working with my researchers right now.

What sparked your interest and made you want to volunteer with Girlstart?
Girlstart educates young women about STEM careers, which is something I wish I knew more about when I was younger. I thought my only options were to be a doctor, scientist, or engineer.

What would you like to tell girls who are interested in pursuing a STEM career?
Your education path may get tough here and there, but don’t let one subject or one teacher deter you from a career in STEM. You may think you know all the possible STEM careers, but there are endless opportunities and if one doesn’t suit you perfectly, another may.

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